Patriots' D.J. Williams remains upbeat

Then the fourth-year tight end injured his lower right leg while blocking on a running play during a joint practice between the Patriots and Washington Redskins in Richmond, Virginia.

By Rich Garven TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

D.J. Williams was having a fine summer — until last Tuesday, that is.

Then the fourth-year tight end injured his lower right leg while blocking on a running play during a joint practice between the Patriots and Washington Redskins in Richmond, Virginia.

The injury isn't believed to be serious, but as a precaution, Williams — along with a number of his more high-profile teammates — was held out of the preseason opener between the two teams Thursday, an exhibition won by the Redskins, 23-6.

The unfortunate setback is undoubtedly frustrating for Williams, who would have had an excellent opportunity to showcase his skills with the Patriots' top two tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui, sitting out.

However it's unlikely to dent a remarkably upbeat attitude forged following a sequence of humbling events that began a year ago when Williams found himself, after being cut by one of the league's worst teams, sitting at home for nearly a month waiting for the phone to ring with a job offer. Then the LED on his lack of NFL success lit up.

"I figured out the only person who really has to do with any of it was myself," Williams recently recalled during a break in training camp. "Looking back on it, I got comfortable, and that's a terrible thing to do."

Williams averaged three receptions a game for his collegiate career and set multiple school records at the University of Arkansas before being named the John Mackey Award winner as the nation's top tight end as a senior in 2010. He then was drafted in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers.

But after two years, 26 games and nine receptions, the Packers waived Williams last August. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 4-12 last season, claimed him two days later. The relationship lasted two months and seven games with no receptions.

Then Williams went home to Little Rock, Arkansas, and waited. And waited. And waited.

But something happened during that silent downtime sitting on a couch as an offer of a job failed to materialize day after day. Outward frustration gave way to inner reflection. The process was gradual, but one day it reached an inexorable conclusion.

"Everyone in college is on their high, and that was me, and I get it," Williams said. "But, like I said, I got comfortable, and I was tired of blaming everyone else and it was just me. So there's no substitute for hard work, and I felt like I could have worked a whole lot harder in the past.

"But that's then, and my whole mindset and mentality has changed. Now I just want to approach every day and not just look at the big picture, but take care of the little things first."

The Patriots finally called and signed Williams on Nov. 27, some three weeks after his release by Jacksonville. Williams was released and re-signed by the Patriots over the next two weeks before finishing the season in New England, appearing in two games and recording no receptions.

The stats, as was the case in Green Bay and Jacksonville, were unimpressive. But one of the tenets of the Bill Belichick era is: It's not how you got here, but what you do once you're here.

In that regard, Williams has made a positive impression.

"Sometimes opportunities don't pan out wherever you may be," tight ends coach Brian Daboll said. "So you got to try to take the next step and try to do whatever you can do to stick on in whatever role you can. It's the NFL. There's change, there's movement. He's a good kid and a hard worker. We'll see."

So Williams has done his newfound best to make this relationship work. It would be mutually beneficial to both sides.

The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Williams has the ability to be a flex tight end, lining up inside or outside. That type of player has been missing around here since Aaron Hernandez has been incarcerated.

And Williams, of course, is looking to settle down and experience success with one team.

He refused to say his natural skill set is a better fit for this offense than the ones in Green Bay and Jacksonville — remember, no pointing fingers — only that he's enamored with coordinator Josh McDaniels' approach to dissecting defenses.

"I feel like since we're professional athletes, it's our job to fit into whatever situation that we're placed in," Williams said. "Some may fit better than others, but I started to learn you really can't control the hand that's dealt, you can just control how well you play.

"I'm here now, I really love the system, and I'm going to do my best to make sure I can be as productive as I can, not for myself but just for the team."

The Patriots likely will keep three tight ends with Gronkowski and Hoomanawanui givens to make the 53-man roster come Aug. 30. That leaves Williams competing with veterans Ben Hartsock and Steve Maneri and rookie free agent Terrence Miller, all three signed by the Patriots on Sunday, for the final spot.

Also Sunday, the Patriots cut two undrafted rookie tight ends — Justin Jones, he of the intriguing 6-8, 275-pound frame, and Asa Watson, whose brother, Benjamin, is a former Patriot.

It's a competition Williams is willing to tackle. And if it doesn't work out, well, he understands there's no need to look anywhere other than at himself.

In the meantime, Williams is intent on returning to the field and keeping the good times going this summer.